Smile’s custom TextExpander keyboard for iOS 8 will save you time typing

Of all the apps that will benefit from custom keyboards in iOS 8, TextExpander by Smile Software is one of the more obvious. In case you’re unfamiliar, TextExpander allows you to create snippets of text and media that can be inserted anywhere with a quick keyboard shortcut.

“We’ve been hard at work since Apple announced the new and exciting extensions and custom keyboards available in iOS 8,” said Smilie in a preview of their new keyboard layout. “TextExpander touch 3, coming on the heels of iOS 8 this fall, includes a TextExpander keyboard which can expand snippets in any app on the iPhone or iPad, including built-in apps such as Mail and Safari.”

The benefit of TextExpander on the Mac is that it can be used anywhere, but on iOS the app has been severely limited. TextExpander touch has essentially been just a fancy notepad for expanding snippets, and it was up to other third-party devs to implement Smile’s API in other apps. Apple certainly never supported TextExpander in its apps.

But that won’t matter when iOS 8 comes out, because you’ll be able to use TextExpander’s custom keyboard no matter the app. Snippets will be synced between TextExpander on the Mac and iOS, just like they are now.

To help test its custom keyboard, Smile is accepting beta testers on the iOS 8 beta. To help out, follow @SmileTEBeta.